About

My name is Rob Hodgkinson, and I am running for Kansas Secretary of State.

I am a fifth generation Kansan, born in Pratt, and raised in the Hutchinson area. In high school I lettered in football, track and debate, played tuba in band, and was a staff photographer for the school paper and yearbook. I was also honored as a State of Kansas Scholar (top 10 % of class). After high school I attended Kansas State University, majoring in Electrical Engineering Technology. I moved to the KC area in 1984 and have been living in my Stilwell home since 2000. I am married to Cheryl Kerr-Hodgkinson and have three grown children and seven grandchildren (so far) and two dogs.

I have experience as a laborer (painting, hod carrier for a bricklayer, silk screener for a sign maker), as a bus driver for both a school and a retirement community, and in retail (grocery in high school and retail management after my move to KC). In the late 90’s I went back to school to learn the IT world and have multiple certifications With those I did consulting work where I helped multiple companies become Y2K compliant. After 2000 I helped run a small company’s complete IT department as a Systems Analyst.

I also know what it means to be a business owner. From 2007 to 2012 I was a partner with a window remodeling company. We tripled our business in those six years, growing from two employees to ten by the time I sold my half of the business back to my partner. I also owned a wholesale business selling windows and patio doors to both contractors and new home builders before shutting it down in 2016. My move to real estate today was a natural process and fit with my knowledge of remodeling.

My interest in (and frustration with) government has been in place for a long time. I have run for public office five times (including for KS Secretary of State in 2006). I have been active in third party growth since 2000. I am a Life member of the Libertarian Party and have served a total of seven years as State Chairman for the Libertarian Party of Kansas.

I was a participant in the “Study Group on the Future of Elections in Kansas” that former Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh initiated in 2009.

I have testified many times in front of legislative committees in the interest of fairness and accessibility for Kansans to ALL parts of elections for years.